Preview

Tonight: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

April 16, 2016

Indie-pop outfit Clap Your Hand Say Yeah are coming to playing an intimate living room set  Buffalo tonight  CYHSY are in the midst of a living room tour exclusively for their core fans giving both a more personal performance and ensuring a great atmosphere. Don’t expect the full band, only lead singer Alec Ounsworth with a six-string. CYHSY sprung onto the scene in the 2000s with breakout tracks like “Yellow Country Teeth,” and “Satan Said Dance.” Tonight’s show is set to begin at 7pm so be on time. If you don’t have a ticket sorry you’re a bit late this time. Living Room shows are the new reunion tour, so be on the lookout for more intimate sets coming to Buffalo in the near future.

Today: Record Store Day

April 16, 2016

Today is the ninth annual  Record Store Day, a holiday created in 2007 to celebrate Mom and Pop record stores and the stagnant vinyl industry. In the past nine years, much has changed in the music industry, and vinyl is HOT again (thanks millenials). Over 700 independent retailers across the world celebrating selling/collecting music by numerous rarities and one-offs being released today, including new releases from David Bowie, J. Dilla, and Regina Spektor to name a few. To get a hold of the whole list of new releases, check out Record Store Day’s website. Here’s what is going on locally. Record Theatre (1800 Main St): Ever want to meet Johnny Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls), Mary Ramsey (10,000 Maniacs), and get a signed copy Cassandra Kublinski’s latest CD all in one location with a Community Beer Works beer in hand? Well, good news for you. Get to Record Theatre’s 1800 Main Street location[...]

Tonight: Bryan Johnson and Family

April 15, 2016

BJ&FAM, boy have we missed you! After a well-deserved winter break, Buffalo’s favorite lake rockers are back to welcome in the warm April weather. This show is the latest in Yace’s string of low cost, high reward programming. Joining Bryan Johnson & co. tonight are upbeat Rochester garage act SKIRTS (whose new EP came out on Dadstache records earlier this year), the dreamy surf-poppers in the aptly named Dreambeaches, and a set from new harmony-heavy act, Feverbox. In a refreshing change of pace, tonight’s show will be happening at the Gypsy Parlor on Grant St. Bring $5 (plus some money for booze) and make sure you’re 21+.

Tonight: Turkuaz

April 13, 2016

Buffalo Iron Works is set to host Brooklyn-based powerfunk band, Turkuaz, this evening for undoubtedly the most fun you’ll have on a Wednesday. The band is no stranger to Buffalo, having played almost every stage that has been able to fit the nine-piece (Buffalo State’s Social Hall, Soundlab, Nietzsche’s, and now Iron Works.) Turkuaz, whose stock is rapidly rising on the festival circuit, combines soul and R&B to make an incredibly engaging sweaty show.  Fans of James Brown, Talking Heads, or Sly & The Family Stone would dig. Not to be forgotten is The Nth Power, who are equally as talented and buzzed about since their emergence at New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2012. Doors are at 8pm with a $16 cover.

Tonight: San Fermin

April 12, 2016

While Baroque pop may have been perhaps indie rock’s biggest scene in the mid-2000s, it’s a sound that has increasingly been disappearing in recent years. Lucky for fans of bands like Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, and Menomena; San Fermin arrived to pick up that ball and roll with it. Based out of the original hub for much of that scene, San Fermin hails from Brooklyn, New York, and it’s something you can hear in their music. The band artfully juxtaposes the classical compositions of band leader Ellis Ludwig-Leone with their raw rock sound to create something personal but massive in scale. San Fermin is a band who have been steadily rising and growing a fan base while avoiding any of the ‘hype band’ tags that causes many artists to fizzle out. Instead they have been quietly winning plaudits from NPR and The New York Times and blowing the unsuspecting public[...]

Tonight: Worriers

April 12, 2016

Brooklyn’s Worriers will be making a stop in town tonight, headlining a basement show that should thrill punk fans who love all things heavy and loud. Joined by three Buffalo bands, Worriers are promoting their 2015 LP Imaginary Life, a record filled with Against Me! influenced indie-punk jams released via Don Giovanni Records. Two of the other acts featured will be celebrating new releases. Local punkers Basement Rat is releasing a cassette version of their album Pura Mujer. Also on the bill is On the Cinder, who will be celebrating the release of their latest album The Fight Against Ourselves. Rounding out the lineup is Grain Assault, who offer a chaotic brand of fast-paced punk. The show starts at 7pm at Hoyt House. Cover is $6 at the door, or free/pay what you can for under 18.

Tonight: Atsuko Chiba

April 11, 2016

Is your Monday in need of a little color? These gray skies have a stranglehold on your morale, you say? Well I’ve got your remedy right here: Atsuko Chiba. The Montreal outfit specializes in dark and gripping experimental prog rock similar to what you’d hear from a collaboration between Mogwai, Balance & Composure, and Pink Floyd, and the quintet is hitting Buffalo’s Dreamland tonight to clear up your Monday blues. Not only will Chiba make your ears happy, but they’ll satisfy your eyes with their live show, which “aims to create immersive sensorial environments by combining sound-based creative practices and live visuals,” according to their bandcamp. Check out the live studio session below and see for yourself. Rounding out tonight’s bill: post-rock tourmates Au Revoir, and locals Elemantra, Slow Cooker, and LA Times. Show starts promptly at 7:30pm with a suggested donation of $5.

Tonight: TORCHE

April 11, 2016

TORCHE is set to play Studio at The Waiting Room this evening for undoubtedly one of the best sleeper shows this year. Upon releasing their fourth full-length album, TORCHE received many blessings from their stoner rock forefathers in Sir Lord Baltimore and Kyuss. The songs and videos they’ve been slinging certainly hit that psychedelic-metal atmosphere, and I have to admit, I played the TORCHE VS. ROBOTS video game for quite a bit. The Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game-like recreational computer game was utilized to forward their latest release, Restarter. Songs like “Annihilation,” “Minions,” and”Blasted” grant listeners a provocative taste of TORCHE’s most current offer. “Barrier Hammer” plays exactly how the words are interpreted; get together with your desert rock brethren and have a hell of a time invading each others’ spaces via headbanging, moshing, or just standing around. Doors are at 8pm with a $15 cover. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWt7V-E9S7U]

Tonight: Failures’ Union

April 9, 2016

Tonight, the Mohawk Place will be hosting a once in a lifetime gig.  In celebration of Buffalonian Tim Turcott’s 40th birthday, he will be reviving a few of his bands for a rare night of music.  The show will feature The Exit Strategy, who will be playing their first show in seven years, as well as Gathering Ground, who will be playing their second show in 17 years.  In addition to these two rare performances, Buffalo staple Failures’ Union will be kicking the show off.  Even if you have never heard of these three bands, you have without a doubt seen their influence on the Buffalo music scene in one way or another, with members of not only that band, but all three, playing in various other bands in Buffalo over the years. Doors open at the Mohawk Place at 8pm, with music starting at 9pm.  For a cover of only 5[...]

Tonight: Baio

April 8, 2016

While we wait patiently for the next offering from Vampire Weekend, their bass player Chris Baio (performing under the stage name Baio) is testing the waters of a solo career. For fans of the indie-rock group, his stop at the Waiting Room tonight is not to be missed. 2015 saw the release of Baio’s solid debut solo record The Names, featuring the catchy and danceable lead single “Sister of Pearl.” The album sees him stepping away from the familiarity of Vampire Weekend, finding his own unique voice and a sound that is all his own. Joining the lineup will be a pair of local Buffalo bands. Energetic indie-rockers M.A.G.S. and  kicking off the night is indie-pop act Parade Chic. For those hoping to score a last minute ticket, the show unfortunately is sold out. For everyone lucky enough to grab one, doors are at 7pm at the Waiting Room.

Tonight: The Mountain Goats

April 6, 2016

Officially celebrating 25 years together as a band, 2016 marks an important landmark for The Mountain Goats. The band originally arrived with a wave of similar mid-90s lo-fi folk rock bands but became bonafied legends for John Darnielle’s unique gift as a storyteller. Darnielle has always has a unique approach to songwriting by investing in different concepts from album to album and finding humanity in it, whether it’s religion, addiction, mental health, or as in their latest release, professional wrestling. Beat the Champ, continues in the tradition of the band’s long lineage but finds Darnielle and company operating in a slightly more playful and adventerous space then recent efforts. Tonight’s show at Asbury Hall marks the first show the indie rock legends have played in our fair city in 5 years and it’ll be interesting to see how new material melds with their classics. If the band’s live show is[...]

Tonight: The Front Bottoms

April 6, 2016

For a band with humble beginnings as an acoustic dance-punk duo in New Jersey’s basement show circuit, The Front Bottoms have had an abundantly successful run thus far. In the past year alone, the duo-turned-quartet have experienced gain in the form of signing  to Fueled By Ramen and releasing Back On Top, which has certainly catapulted them much further than the basement scene. The band even has summer tour dates lined up at Coachella, Shaky Knees Music Festival and the inaugural Panorama Festival (playfully dubbed “East Coast Coachella”) in NYC. From what I’ve observed among friends, TFB tend to be a band that either doesn’t entirely click with you, or you’re wholly invested in on a few different levels. If there’s any one defining characteristic of their music, it’s the immense amount of personal sentiment they pour into it, but they do so through the guise of clever hooks, contagious lyricism, tastefully unrefined[...]

Tonight: Sheer Mag

April 3, 2016

Philadelphia punk rockers Sheer Mag are more than a fresh voice to the scene. Their freshness precedes them—the 80’s tinged beefy riff slinging, frontwoman Christina Halladay’s Joan Jett-ish tigress growl, exceptionally grooveable rhythms, all of this coalesces into one of today’s hardest hitting punk rock bands still able to churn a dance floor. The quintet is in for a snowy surprise when they make their way to Mohawk Place later tonight (welcome to Buffalo) in support of their latest 4-track release, III, so let’s show them a warm, queen city welcome. Their electrifying live show comes highly recommended. Tourmates Laffing Gas, and locals Radiation Risks and Uniform (OPR) are all set to bring the heat before the Mag, so get there early. Or when the doors open, which is scheduled for 7pm. Presale tickets were $10, so if you plan on getting one at the door, bring some extra cash[...]

Tonight: Acid Mothers Temple

April 2, 2016

Tonight Mohawk Place will be home to one of the most tripped out, mind-bending experiences to hit Buffalo in a long time. Japanese cult legends, Acid Mothers Temple, will stop by to bring their unique conscinousness-expanding psyc-rock to the unexpecting public. With nearly 100 albums to their name between their live and studio work, this is a band that never ceases working or experimenting. Acid Mothers Temple mix everything from loud distorted guitars to jazz instrumentation to electro breakbeats and howled vocals. Rather than make music for the general public or even as a means of self-expression, Acid Mothers Temple founder, Kawabata Makoto, has said that he aims to immerse people into a world of collected sounds he hears through life. With an incredible live reputation behind them and a sound that’s this wholy unique, it’s safe to say that tonight show at Mohawk Place will be like nothing you’ve ever[...]

Tonight: Kurt Vile

March 31, 2016

Much could be said about Kurt Vile; He is seen at once as indie’s Dylan, a lone troubadour with a unique voice; he co-founded indie darlings, The War on Drugs, he has released some of the most iconic, unclassifiable albums in recent years. I prefer to think of him as an “artist”, in the truest sense of the word. He is a purveyor of truth in a sea of passer-bys. I remember when I first heard Kurt. Smoke Ring for My Halo had just come out and I was recommended the album by my sister. Released as a companion piece, the So Outta Reach EP was, in effect, disc two, and one particular track endeared me to Kurt right from the go. “Life’s a Beach” came as a storm at a time when I was trying to figure out where I was going in life, and, as if in an “a-ha”[...]